plethora of pumpkins!

Our fifth project, a group project, was to create a 10' x 10' x 12' kiosk or booth for a product. Michelle, Marzieh and Sherrell were in my group. We had the option of picking one of our own products, or choosing a new one. We opted to pick a new object, and try something new. We decided, with us taking this class in the fall, that pumpkins would be a fun and seasonal product. 

 

Our audience was the urban, working population. We realized, living here in DC, that going to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins for the fall is a large task, and a long drive. We wanted to bring the pumpkin patch to the city, in a clean, aesthetically pleasing way. A large inspiration for us was the store Terrain at Styer's. The whole place is overgrown a little, and feels cozy, but not messy. We wanted to imitate that atmosphere as much as possible. Our first plan was too static-we wanted to have shelving everywhere and a bar to taste baked goods, but everything was up against the wall. 

There are 2 shelving units along the back & left walls, with a bar on the right. More like a library, not much like a pumpkin patch.

When we re-started brainstorming our concept, we realized we wanted to emote though the space were the actions and senses that you experience when at a pumpkin patch--picking up pumpkins off the ground, smelling baked goods made with pumpkin, seeing vines winding around, all in a large open space. We brought all of those elements into our space by placing pedestals around the space in a winding path so customers would have to wind through the space, and pumpkins were placed at different heights. We eliminated walls on three sides of the space, by creating a structure with columns, framed by a traditional farm-like fence and a wall full of pumpkins. The whole piece was constructed out of balsa wood, the pumpkins are made out of Sculpey, and the pumpkin vines are made of embroidery thread and floral tape.

 

 

hang ten!

Our fourth assignment is to create a free standing display, either table=top or or from the floor, for our product and/or its packaging.

Again, my product is a pineapple, so I began thinking instantly of Hawaii, and the surfing culture.

I first thought of creating a surf shack for pineapples -- a pineapple shack. I thought creating a habitation for the pineapples would give them a story; the customer has traveled all the way to Hawaii to get their beloved pineapple.

I started building the base of a structure, but realized that I was just building a box, which I thought wasn't original enough, so I scrapped the idea. I wanted something more creative. I stayed with the surfing idea, but thought about the idea of putting the pineapples on the surfboard instead of next to it. Creating a single or double wave would give the pineapples a surface to sit on. I didn't like the shape that the two waves created, and decided to just make one.

   

It took a lot of time to get the right shape for the wave. I started out by sketching out different shapes...

...then I looked at a lot of pictures of waves online and saw a lot of variety:

 

I saw a lot of imperfect C-shapes; most of them were pushed downwards and then pulled horizontally. The problem with that shape is that it doesn't leave a lot of space for the pineapple to sit, and it makes it hard for the customer to see inside of the space where the product is sitting.

 

I made some carved models of shapes out of board to see how it would cut; I started playing with the width of the wave as well. Then I made a model out of chipboard to see how it would look in three dimensions. It was too short, and too dark.

  

The final is still a floor display, with only one wave and a surfboard going across the front of it, like a surfer would duck to squeeze through a wave that has crashed on top of itself.

I reused the same logo that I had on my packaging project as my logo for the surfboard, to emphasize the brand of pineapple. I kept the rest of the design simple because I didn't want the wave to get too busy--in surfing, there's nothing there but the wave, and the surfer on their board. I wanted to mimic that simplicity.

packaging-final model

While working on my final model for the packaging project, I realized that I didn't really like what I had designed. I didn't see the point of it, to be honest; and the it turned out was not how I had imagined. I ended up going to bed upset the night before it was due for the final critique because I didn't have enough time or the materials to change my design.

After hearing back from my fellow classmates, I realized that my fears were legitimate, but that I also worried too much.

Some people understood the point of creating a carrier for the pineapple, while others thought it didn't make sense. One comment read "I understand why you made this, but it wouldn't convince me any more to buy a pineapple." I was afraid of people not understanding why I created a hanging strap to carry the fruit, while others understood it, but sounded underwhelmed in their comments. 

Personally, I didn't think my execution of the scheme was straightforward enough. The tag was placed in the wrong location--an inconvenient place when trying to get the strap tightened around the stem of the leaves of the pineapple, and the color scheme was not the right color in order to correspond with the colors in the fruit. Lastly, overhead projector paper is an absolute nightmare! Ink doesn't stick to it, and any pressure on top of where the ink is ruins the image. 

my purely pineapple carrier!

packaging, continued

This week has been a continuation on developing and creating a package for our products (mine being a pineapple). I have to say, it hasn't gotten much easier, and I feel like my peers have helped me so much, just by sharing their own ideas; showing how they convey an emotion, a motion, or another object within the packaging.


I had a bunch of ideas that went south. My first was a way to encase the pineapple in a stackable box so multiple ones would fit well on a shelf or for transportation. Transportation made me think of traveling, which got me to a suitcase. I thought I could make a suitcase, complete with travel stickers showing where it was grown, what brand farm it was from, and its nutritional facts.

Travel stickers would make great labels!

I went from a round box to a square box to a suitcase.

Unfortunately, giving the pineapple another layer of protection was seen as repetitive. I didn't want my package to get boring as customers saw it again and again, after all.


Every item has positive and negative qualities-with a pineapple, its skin is both. Pineapples don't need a case in order to be protected because the skin is so tough--it already serves that purpose. However, this tough skin is uncomfortable to hold and carry through a store. I bought a pineapple when I went to Safeway last week and found that because of its weight, carrying it in a basket it very uncomfortable. But so is carrying it in my arms, because of the skin. I realized that there should be an alternative way to carry a pineapple (unless you have a grocery cart; then you're just lucky!)... perhaps a bag the same size as a pineapple, but with a long strap you can hold or even put over your shoulder so that the prickly skin doesn't irritate your arms (as it did to mine) would work. 

The measurements weren't correct, but I think the strap is a good length for carrying.

I started thinking about how to turn the basket into more of a sling for the pineapple... it's more minimalist, and not as distracting as the basket-form is. I don't want the tag to be a part of the strap, just because it's easier to see it when it's hanging in the opposite direction of the pineapple's holder. 

I can't decide if having a logo/tag still look like a pineapple leaf is a good idea, the shape is just so restricting...